Boink

I began having pain in the knuckle on my right index finger about 6 years ago.  My doctor diagnosed the problem as arthritis and recommended a steroid shot, not to cure it but to relieve the pain.  The injection worked great, completely relieving my pain for eight months.  Over the years, the time between steroid injections grew shorter and shorter and my knuckle grew to twice the size of the other knuckles.  My doctor said it was time for surgery to freeze the joint to stop the pain.

COVID-19 delayed the surgery, but it was finally scheduled for last Monday.  After a COVID-19 test (I was surprised that the nurse pushed the swab so far up my nose that she must have gotten brain tissue), I checked in for about a four-hour procedure.  After a nerve block, I was put to sleep and woke with my hand and lower arm in a cast.  Aloma drove me home and got me settled in a recliner.

My arm and hand were completely numb, no pain and no movement.  With my other hand, I lifted the cast by bending my elbow.  Then the cast crashed into my face.  BOINK.  I saw stars and Aloma said, “Why did you hit yourself?”

“I didn't do it.  My arm did it by itself.”

A few minutes later, I moved my arm and got boinked again.  I was surprised again.  This time Aloma laughed.  “That is so funny.”

Over the next hour my poor face received three more hits.  It was really weird.  By 10:00 p.m. I could move my fingers and control my arm.  Then the pain from the operation started.  A few pills dulled the pain, and I slept pretty well.

After a week, I have little pain and am healing normally.  Actually, the pain is less than before the surgery.  My main issue is that doing everything with my left-hand takes twice as long.

I wish I had a video of the boinking.  It would have gone viral.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com